Info on How to Shoot Group Portraits Indoors With an SLR Camera
If you are photographing a group and you do not know what your are doing, it will become obvious very quickly. People will become inpatient, which could make for less than ideal group photos. To avoid hearing some harsh words and taking less than ideal group portraits, learn the basic steps of the process so you will be prepared at your next shoot.
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Instructions
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Find a background that is not distracting that will help to draw the viewers of the pictures to the subjects and not random objects in the frame. Organize all of the subjects of the photograph. Ensure that the faces of all of the subjects are visible.
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Look through the lens and compose the photograph so that the subjects fill the frame.
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Set the aperture depending on how many people are in the shot. Greater numbers of people in a group require a narrower aperture to keep them all in focus.
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Use a swiveling external flash to achieve softer lighting in group portraits. Turn the swiveling head upward and slightly backward to bounce the light off of the wall and ceiling. If the bounced light form the flash is not bright enough, set the ISO incrementally higher until you reach the desired exposure.
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Tips & Warnings
An aperture of f/16 should suffice for a large group with 20 or more, but it does not hurt to go even narrower to a setting like f/22. For smaller groups of 6 to 8 people, f/8 will be a good starting point. Alway take a few seconds to review your shots after you set the aperture to see if everyone is in focus.
Avoid using the built-in flash on your SLR. If there are no other options and the lighting is dim, use the built-in flash as a last resort.
Keep a good attitude while you are shooting and do your best not to look uncertain if you are having technical difficulties. Most people just want to get the group shot done so they do not have to stand in one place for a long time. Once you have your camera settings down, focus on getting a shot where everybody is looking at the camera, and preferably smiling. If you are good at entertaining crowds, use that to your advantage. Keep it fun for the group.
References
- Photo Credit group of four people image by Francois du Plessis from Fotolia.com
